Herein, a promising method to prepare efficient N-doped porous carbon-supported Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles (Fe 2 O 3 /N-PCs) ORR electrocatalysts is presented. The porous carbon was derived from a biomass i.e., mulberry leaf through a cost-effective approach. The existence of diverse compounds containing carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur in mulberry leaf benefit the formation and uniform dispersion of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) in the porous carbon. In evaluating the effects of the carbon

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... t on the Fe 2 O 3 NPs towards the ORR, we found that the sample of Fe 2 O 3 /N-PCs-850 (Fe 2 O 3 /N-PCs obtained at 850 • C) with high surface area of 313.8 m 2 •g −1 exhibits remarkably superior ORR activity than that of materials acquired under other temperatures. To be specific, the onset potential and reduction peak potential of Fe 2 O 3 /N-PCs-850 towards ORR are 0.936 V and 0.776 V (vs. RHE), respectively. The calculated number of electron transfer n for the ORR is 3.9, demonstrating a near four-electron-transfer process. Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent longtime stability and resistance to methanol deactivation compared with Pt/C catalyst. This study provides a novel design of highly active ORR electrocatalysts from low-cost abundant plant products.